Beyoncé Celebrating Her Pregnancy Is Pure Joy

When black women celebrate maternity, it is an act of resistance.

To the delight of fans everywhere, Beyoncé has been sharing moments of her life and pregnancy in perfectly styled shoots with Blue Ivy and Jay-Z. To see her celebrate maternity and pregnancy so elaborately and beautifully is revolutionary because black motherhood is so rarely celebrated within mainstream media because of our white supremacist society.

Beyoncé celebrated Mother’s Day last week in flowing, floral Dolce and Gabbana dress and beautiful curls framing her face while Blue Ivy looked adorable in a matching dress holding a “Happy Mother’s Day” balloon. This weekend Bey and family hosted a Carter Push Party and released glimpses of their happy moments together.

When black women celebrate maternity, it is an act of resistance because from slavery and beyond, black women did not always have a say when it came to controlling their bodies and their reproduction.

The imagery, esthetics and displays of love and happiness in the photoshoots Bey has released throughout her pregnancy have been an assertion that black motherhood should be celebrated and that there needs to be more space attributed to discussions surrounding race, reproductive justice and pregnancy.

The responses to Beyoncé’s photoshoots haven’t always been positive. Pieces by white women have accused her of raising the bar too high and “fetishizing” pregnancy. Another piece judged the images as being “tacky,” and one actually went so far as to say that she look too beautiful while pregnant.

With articles like these coming out on a regular basis, it is a refreshing and calming antidote to see Beyoncé continuing to celebrate her pregnancy exactly how she wishes to and in all of her pregnant glory. Plus, her twin Beybies are going to be Geminis and that’s dope (don’t @ me).

Lara Witt is a Desi-Kenyan writer who writes about pop culture through an intersectional feminist lens. Based in Philadelphia, PA, she dedicates her time to freelance writing about self-care, living with PTSD and deconstructing systems of oppression. When she isn't writing, she is organizing projects with feminist activist groups or spending time with her family and friends.